Our Shattered World
by Princess Selina
Summary: When the villainous organizations from all regions combined to take over the world. The strongest trainers were turned, captured or killed until there was no one left to defy them. Five years have passed and all people are oppressed, suffering, without hope of overturning the tyrannical rule they're subjected to. Except the number one name on their wanted list: Ash Ketchum.
1. What I Used To Be

**Chapter One: What I Used To Be**

As it had nearly every day for the past month the coastal city remained in a perpetual downpour. The wind swept in a howling gale that made umbrellas useless as the two figures swept forward like emotionless drones towards their destination. Each was dressed in mostly black, with high-topped silver boots, gloves and belts. The only other colour added to their uniforms were the pink 'R's stitched onto the breast-pocket of their jackets. The stripes on their shoulders, which only had slight colouring to them, marked the male as a major and the female as a captain.

As they approached their destination both of them instantly hit small buttons on their belts, sending out an instant location update to their headquarters. This was a basic instinct knocked into them since the moment they stepped in the doors of the training academy. As soon as they heard the bleep of confirmation, they entered the building without hesitation, not even a knock or a call to alert the inhabitants. It was a large, circular building; shaped almost like a carousel. It had marks in the paint like something had been ripped off the roof long ago. Though the building itself still rather beautiful, it was weather beaten and worn, in need of repair.

The lights were out, but the faint glow of an exit sign along with the constant flashes of lightning allowed the two people to migrate their way through the gym. They moved without hesitation to a back room, where a light was visible under the door. They treated the door like they had with every other in the establishment, like it wasn't closed for a reason, and stepped through it forcefully.

In the glowing light of a single candle by a poolside office, an exhausted girl looked up, her turquoise eyes burning with hatred as she stared at the people who had entered, 'May I help you?' she asked with such condescending politeness that it made her voice shake.

'Your behind on your payments,' the women sneered.

Once fearless and undefeatable the constant oppression had worn her down, making her seem very off guard and wary as she hastily clarified, 'But I already paid you this week.'

'Sorry to inform you but the tax for Pokémon keepers has just gone up five percent, and given the large haul your insisting on keeping with you, it is only necessary that we come to collect what is owed to our leader,' the man said tonelessly, not seeming to get as much joy out of tormenting the young girl as his counterpart was, that alone meant he wouldn't get any higher in the organization than where he was.

'The President has once again reinstated his offer for you to sell up some of your water types; it could certainly make your living a lot more comfortable. You might even be able to fix up this shack,' the women chuckled.

'And my answer once again is no. I will not sell my Pokémon,' she said forcing all emotion out of her tone; she knew what would happen if she got emotional.

'Fine that's your choice, but you better pay up, you now owe us around a thousand Poké,' the man said tonelessly.

Her already pale skin drained of any colour it had left before she gulped and walked out of the office. That much extra a week? If she hadn't had been the only one to inherit her parents savings she would have already lost her Pokémon. She had sold everything that wasn't necessary for her to own but with her calculations she knew that soon enough the money would run dry and she'd soon have to give up some of her dearest friends. She just didn't know how she could do that, how to make that choice or go through with it.

She reached the edge of the pool, and after glancing around for a moment, she realised that they weren't going to look away. Sighing deeply to herself, desperate to contain her thoughts she picked up a false tile. Underneath was a stack of bills and she picked up several and handed them into the waiting hands of the Team Rocket members. As she did this she suddenly glanced up and noticed her Lanturn watching her from the pool with sad eyes. She gave it a quick look to tell it to re-submerge; there was nothing it could do, nothing she could do, nothing even the most powerful Pokémon could do to change a thing.

She handed over the money into the greedy palm waiting for it, but the women unwisely decided to throw in an unnecessary comment, 'Good girl, oh and tell that ugly, little pond scum hovering around your swimming pool it needs a little exercise. It looks so dim.'

The red-head gritted her teeth, forcing herself to keep her comments in line with what she was expected to say, 'I'm afraid that's not an option. I know I'm not allowed to train or battle with Pokémon. That is an honor reserved for those within the armies of our all-powerful leaders.'

'We were asked to remind you-'

'That the offer to join you still stands, I am aware, and as usual, uninterested,' she said forcefully, she knew she was losing her temper right now and she was trying to reel it back in.

But she was hardly the only one getting mad, the Captain looked furious at this comment and retorted with anger, 'Look here you foolish child! Get off your pillar of high mighty goodness and realise you are lucky to even be alive. If you haven't noticed in this new world order you're not the _famous _Misty Waterflower of the Cerulean City gym, the water Pokémon extraordinaire,' the scathing, rage and hatred in her tone all too obvious, 'You're just some brat with not enough sense to notice how much of a good deal your being offered! I don't know why the President is even interested in recruiting you in the first place-'

Her tendrils of red hair slapped her in the face as she whipped around, now unable to control her raging temper, 'You do realise your companion there is going to have to report you for questioning the will of the _great_ Giovanni. You've just gone and punished yourself!'

She barely got those words out of her mouth and would have continued if she hadn't been struck in the stomach and thrown to the ground by a devise that resembled a cattle-prod. They were referred to as Tenjin staves by the members of Team Rocket; small electrical rods that in a single touch could send enough electricity to knock out a raging Tyranitar when set at a high enough voltage. Misty wouldn't give them the pleasure of hearing her scream though; she let the pain out of her system in a long, lingering hiss that managed to prevent the tears from streaming down her face. She got to her feet, shivering in rage, but now that she'd started she couldn't be stopped, and in that moment she didn't care what else she said.

'I know how the new and supposedly improved world order works. I know I'm not a gym leader or a pillar of strength anymore. It's been _five_ freaking years, don't you think I'd know that by now?!' she hissed, her entire body steeled, waiting for another jolt from the Tenjin staff, 'What I can't figure out is why after five years Giovanni thinks I'd want to join him!? You can shove that request up his fat entitled ass! Oh and while you're at it please do thank him for the tax rises that are only being orchestrated on me and me alone! Don't you think I know what he's up to?!'

The electricity surged through her body but she didn't break even as the man yelled, 'Shut your mouth foolish child!'

'You want to know what Giovanni wants me for?!' she spat angrily at the Major, 'He wants information I don't have! Tell your boss that I have no idea where the hell he is! Now you have my money, so get the hell out of my gym!'

Both members of Team Rocket slammed their Tenjin staves into her, on a much higher frequency and she was no longer able to contain the pain. She dropped to the ground with a scream of anguish, spasming uncontrollably. The women slammed her steel toed boot into Misty's side causing her to curl into a tight defensive ball on the ground. She was shocked and kicked several more times, she remained down, knowing that if she got up she would only be pushed back down. She stayed in that position, tears forming along her eyelids, until she heard them leave the room.

Sitting up, she realised she was in the dark once more, her candle must have gone out in all this, 'Lanturn... could you give me some light please?' she croaked out.

The small orb of light migrated towards her from the pool and with a slight slapping sound the Light Pokémon had slid across the tiles towards her, butting its head against her own. She knew it was a sign of affection but Lanturn often forgot the strength that it had, though it was little wonder about that. It had only just evolved when everything took a turn for the worse; it had never been permitted to train after that. Inwardly she scoffed at her last thought, a turn for the worse, more like a running jump off the highest cliff known to man.

Misty struggled to her feet, pushing back her overlong fringe as she moved towards her office to find her matches and candle. She decided to move back to the pool side and after rolling Lanturn back into the pool she set the candle down and lit the match. In the slight light created by the candle she could see enough around to see the other Pokémon that had been let out of their Pokéballs at the time being. She could see her Politoad, Quagsire, Corsola, Seaking and Carracosta floating around the edges of the pool, only approaching now that they were positive that the people from Team Rocket had left.

'Hey, its okay,' she said gently, 'I'm alright.'

Her Seaking swam up to her nuzzling its damp skin under her hand. She caressed it gently with her her fingertips, murmuring to it gently. This Seaking had been one of her first Pokémon; her sisters couldn't get it to evolve when she was a kid so they passed it off to her as a reject. She'd trained it hard and successfully made it into a serious force to reckon with on the battlefield. Though in the long years without training had left it without the same spark. Her loyal friend becoming so gentle and sensitive that it hardly seemed like the same Pokémon.

A single tear drop rolled down her cheek, before she realised she needed a good cry. Her emotions had been piling on top of each other for too long and she had to get it out now so that she could be strong later when she needed to be. She stroked Seaking's horn before she unhooked a large charm from around her neck. It didn't look like it had an opening but when she pried it open, which took a very specific method she fished out the key from inside and held it out to the goldfish Pokémon.

'Seaking, can you bring me my box?'

'King...' it said gently in its mystical voice before taking the key in his mouth and diving down to the bottom of the pool.

It took a few minutes for Seaking to return, as it took significant technique to unlock the hidden safe she had stashed in the bottom of her pool. Seaking rose to the surface balancing a waterproof box on its head, Misty smiled at it softly scooping up the box, that although soaking wet, meant so much to her. For a moment she just stared at the box, but after a time she opened it up, tears pouring down her face instantly at she stared at the contents.

There were only a few items in the box, but each of them had such an intrinsic meaning to her that she could never bare to part with her treasures. She brushed her fingers over the first item, her breath catching as she felt the familiar engravings. It was a silver amulet that was all she had left of her mother: a silver piece that reflected the sea, dotted with black pearls and blue sapphires, it was really the only think that had any monetary value. The next item was a photo album from when she was younger, from when she travelled all over Kanto, the Orange Islands and Johto, as well as a few snapshots from her brief visits to other parts of the world, mostly on the trail of a water-type she wanted.

This was something she actually pulled out of the box, flicking with care through the delicate pages as she stared at the familiar faces of her friends that she no longer saw. The spark of power in her Pokémon's eyes from the closely fought battles they had been through. These represented memories of a much happier time, long before the villainous organizations had combined to destroy everything that she loved. She looked at a picture of herself that she remembered Tracey taking when they were in the Orange Islands, standing atop Lapras as they went over a huge wave. She looked at her eleven year old self, so confident and care-free, like nothing could touch her. Running a finger through the tangles of her now much longer hair she stared at the once ever present side ponytail. Part of her couldn't help but miss it, no matter how much she reflected how horrible that style was.

She placed it gently back in the box and turned to the other items, a picture frame being one of them. It was the last photo she and her sisters had taken together before everything fell apart, it was the one of the last times they had been all together. Now it had been years since she'd seen them, and no matter how forced their smiles were as they attempted to get along, she knew how much she had loved them. Misty looked for a long lingering moment at the last case of Cascade badges she'd ever had made, then at the program from the water show her sisters had forced her to participate in. It was beyond her control to stop the miserable sound that slipped out as she saw the clipping she'd saved from a newspaper from the day she'd been announced as the official next-in-line to the Elite Four, which at the time had meant she was the most power gym leader in the Kanto region. There'd even been a year when only three people had won a Cascade badge; two of them had ended up in the final of the Indigo League.

But that wasn't what made her the most miserable of all in the little box of treasures; the thing that she could barely stand to look at was what made her truly fall to pieces. An old baseball cap, the kind they used to give out as prizes for kids watching the Indigo League. It was discoloured and in the clear need of maintenance, fraying in a few places along the rim. It wouldn't have sold for more than a few bucks if she had the heart to sell it, but to her it was more valuable than gold, simply because of the person that used to wear it.

'Oh Ash…' she whispered to herself.

She sobbed and cried for what must have been the better part of half an hour, before suddenly she felt her sadness clear and the only thing left being the anger that she felt. Wiping away her tears she put the hat back in the box and pulled out the last thing in the box. A single slip of paper, rolled up into a little scroll which she had preserved in a small plastic container. She pulled it out unrolled it, hoping that maybe she could see a hint or clue that she hadn't seen before.

_Wishes are dreams, and dreams are pretend, only you can make it happen for yourself so don't stand around and wait for it to happen. This is what you were trying to teach me all along when we were kids, I should have listened. Don't look for me. _

That was it, a single piece of paper that on the day that the regions had fallen to the will of Team Rocket and all the other organizations that'd helped them. She had gone out of her way to try to stop the tide of criminals from overwhelming them, but after the Elite Four and Champion had fallen… The only way to protect the people of her city was to stand down, so at least they were alive but she regretted that day still. Why had she stopped fighting? It was better to die then to live as a prisoner.

She had found this in the gym when she'd finally been allowed to return there. She had found it in an old stack of floating mats that she used for battles, she'd been considering throwing them out when all the fighting started. She was almost positive that he'd put in between the mats that they'd used during their first battle when he'd beaten her for his second badge all those years ago. She'd gone through them, intending to sell them, and found the note, in his scratchy and hasty handwriting that was all too recognizable. With its obvious slants, loops on the 't's and lowercase 'a's and 'd's that looked virtually the same. It was Ash's handwriting that was for sure. He'd left this for her, knowing he didn't have to leave his name.

Not too long after this, once everything had settled into a routine of misery and taxes that had been when Giovanni had decided to take a personal interest in her. He actually came to see her at the gym, acting surprisingly polite despite his obvious desire to intimidate her. He started asking her a lot of questions, which didn't have much to do with anything, before she realised that all of them linked back to one thing. Ash. He came back several times before he asked her outright to tell him where he'd gone. Misty couldn't tell him, even if she had known she wouldn't. She had simply told him that she'd been wondering when he was going to get to the point, but asked him what a dictator like him had to fear in one boy from the middle of nowhere, with not even a league win to his name.

Giovanni would have offered her the sun and moon if he'd thought it could make her tell him. He offered to make her a Rocket Executive, to reinstate the gym, to make her rich and powerful beyond her wildest dreams. He offered the best Water Pokémon to train; those that were so rare and powerful and she couldn't have hoped to train them before. Hell, he'd even offered to let her have Kyogre. All for one location on the one person she couldn't understand why he was so desperate to get his hands on. Ash.

Ash had said not to look for him, like it wasn't safe for her to know where he was, or what he was doing. Giovanni's sudden interest in him proved that it was more than just a little true. Though the thing was, no one at all had seen a hide or hair of Ash in a little over five years, when everything started to go wrong, he just vanished. She had called Brock, Tracey, Gary, Mrs. Ketchum, Professor Oak and none of them knew where he had gone and were just as worried as she was. Contacting May, Max, Dawn, Iris and Cilan had wielded similar results, but at the same time, she knew them less well so she couldn't be sure if they were telling her the truth. She'd even managed to get into contact with the people he travelled with in Kalos, Clemont and Bonnie as well as Serena hadn't even known he was missing; they'd only finished their journey together several weeks before hand. He just disappeared from this world, like he'd never been there. Like he was some sort of shared delusion that had manifested itself in her head. And all she had left to remember him by was a tiny scrap of paper and an old, faded cap that just like her, he'd left behind.

'For god's sake Ketchum, why did you do this to me?' she hissed angrily under her breath throwing the cap back into the box.

Getting unsteadily to her feet, she shut her box and sealed it to avoid damage and put in the water for Seaking to put back and shut the key into her necklace. She thanked her Pokémon and retreated back into her office, taking her candle with her. She was not going to risk increasing the power bill with this new spike in her taxes. There was a large bulletin board in her office that her sisters had plastered with all their modeling stuff, she didn't have the heart to take it down originally, but in the end it had turned out to be useful. She pulled it off the wall then pried at the thin layer of plaster underneath to reveal yet another hidden place. Metal sheets were locked together tightly but by removing the cascade badge that she had lying around the office, she inserted the point and turned it like a key, unfolding the map of the world's regions before her. There were pins inserted with notes and pictures, an intensive research diagram as she stared at the mess of randomness and desperate thinking. She returned once more to the question she had been trying to discover for five years.

'Where are you Ash?'

…

Deep within a valley in a forgotten corner of Unova, a man with a messy crop of ebony hair remained kneeling in front of a large group of people. His head was bowed, his clear respect all too obvious for those gathered in front of him, seeming calm and tranquil in his essence. But something about the positioning of his hands on his knees, the slight tensing in his shoulders seemed to show he was on edge. But not in the way that implied he was frightened, more so in a way that indicated that if anything should go wrong, he was more than ready to respond.

'You have passed every one of our tests but one. If you pass this test than you shall be able to step forth and come back from your exile,' said the man who appeared older than the rest, his silver hair keeping his face from viewing.

'Aren't we a pretty large group for exile?' drawled a blonde female who stood nearby, looking amused.

'Enough,' he said sharply enough to keep her quiet, but he didn't raise his voice an octave, before he returned to addressing the man before him, 'I did not initially wish to accept you but you have proved yourself a remarkable student. Every bit the entity of willpower that Uxie recognized you as, the training we put you through was hard, but you refused to give up. We believe you to be worthy of our support, to take on the criminals who took our homes from us. Though before you rise and take upon this new and important task, we have one last test for you.'

This time he did look to the blonde who had spoken before, who grinned like she'd been waiting for this day for a long time, 'Ready for a battle Ketchum?'

'I'm battling you? That's my final test?' he asked, seeming genuinely surprised, like he'd thought he'd have to do something thoroughly more complicated.

But a younger purple haired girl stepped forward, eyes burning in anticipation as she reached for a Pokéball coloured purple and marked with the symbol of dragon-types, 'You're not getting off that easy, you've got to battle all of us. At the same time.'

'Now that sounds way more like what I was expecting.'


	2. Searching for a Brighter Day

**Chapter Two: Searching for a Brighter Day**

It was nearly midnight by the time the exhausted man stumbled into the door of his tiny home in Pewter City. He walked in the door and fell flat on his face on the mattress shoved up against the wall. He'd be up at dawn regardless of the time he got home. He just had to get as much sleep as possible before heading back to the mines. Even as he tried to force his weary self to sleep, his brain seemed to refuse, continuing to remind him about how pitiful his life had become. He worked day in and day out at the mines, to help supply the terrible people, who had taken everything away from him, with coal.

His life had been going surprisingly well before everything changed, he'd missed the days of traveling with his old friends, but he'd finally found a dream he could achieve. He had been halfway through earning his qualification as a Pokémon doctor; he'd been doing an internship in the local Pokémon centre. He was back with his family, the gym was running the way it should be and none of his brothers and sisters had a problem to think about. He'd even convinced the resident Nurse Joy to go out with him, everything had been going perfectly. But everything changed when Team Rocket attacked.

As he and his family were the local gym leaders, it had been up to them to guard Pewter City; it was their duty, he'd done anything in his power to protect his home. And it still wasn't enough. He'd been working as hard as he could and that included healing Pokémon from injuries he technically wasn't qualified to handle at the time. When he hadn't been healing, he'd been fighting against the arm of villains trying to overthrow the city he loved. He drove his Pokémon as hard as he could, trying desperately to quell the constant onslaught of attacks. For everyone he defeated, two more would appear, it was like watching a Doduo evolve at an accelerated rate.

The whole takeover was annoyingly clever and yet so blindingly obvious. Someone had decided to take all the disgraced has-beens who had failed in their attempt to change the world and band them together in some sort of gallery of rogues. And they'd had the support, numbers and funds to make it happen. Team Rocket, Team Aqua, Team Magma, Team Galactic, Team Plasma, Team Flare. The six villainous organization joined together, helping each other, filling in the gaps in each other's plans until they knew that they were undefeatable. Five years of suffering later and there was still no sign of hope.

Five years of back breaking work. Half a decade of paying such outrageous taxes that putting all your blood, sweat and tears into every day was the minimal you could do to stay afloat. All those years of being hassled for information that he didn't have by the admins of about half the villainous teams in the area. He'd watched for five years as his brothers and sisters had worked themselves to the grindstone to help keep their family supported when most of them weren't even old enough for jobs. Every day was painful, every day dragged on like it was never going to end. There was no indication that this was going to change, no sign of even the slightest glint of hope.

Grunting to himself he pulled out a scrap of paper tucked into a secret pouch on the tag on his mattress. It may have been dark but he was so used to the blackness that surrounded him that he could still faintly read the words etched into the torn piece of paper.

_The only success I never knew was the ability to go from failure to failure without losing my enthusiasm. Yet the whole time you watched me stumble along and you never lost faith I could do it. I wish I could have stood up and become everything you saw in me before it was too late. I'm taking responsibility for what I should have done all those years ago, you have to know that but don't try to find me, it's too dangerous for both of us._

'What the hell is that supposed to mean?' Brock murmured to himself for the millionth time, he'd travelled for that kid for four bloody years and now he couldn't trust him with his location.

He didn't even know for sure if Ash was still alive. He'd known for a long time that Giovanni wanted to get his hands on him, no doubt for all the trouble Ash had caused him over the years. That alone had been a long assertion that Ash was still out there somewhere, that he was still working on something to make things better. But in the last few months they'd stopped bothering asking him questions about where Ash had gone. This left him with two conclusions, either they'd decided he didn't have the information, or they'd found him. If they'd found him, he very much doubted he'd still be alive. Ash was someone who couldn't agree to what they didn't like or approve of. Which meant submitting to this new world order, just wouldn't be an option for him.

There was no chance he would have agreed to live the way Brock had, he had his siblings to worry about, but Ash… He wouldn't have been able to take this no matter the situation. He was restless and reckless, couldn't stay in one place for a moment, and couldn't take a second to just breathe. Though because of his willpower, drive and passion, those little quirks got overshadowed, it was part of the reason why he'd decided to tag along with him on his journey rather than finding his own path. He'd wanted to try to figure out what made Ash's insane and risky battle style work the way it did, he wanted to figure out how Ash was wired the way he was.

He had caught a glimpse of why Ash had gotten so far at every turn at the Sinnoh League when he saw him take down two legendary Pokémon trained to such an insanely high level. That had been what made him feel like it was alright to leave when he'd gotten an inkling of what he wanted to do. Ash had a natural ability for battles, an undeniable amount of skill that had been shaped by what Ash had been through over the years. Which in the end he admitted was more insane then the things Ash would try in battle that would somehow work.

His own thoughts were drifting severely off topic, showing the full frontal effects of his own exhaustion. He tucked the piece of paper away and close his eyes, trying to get his brain to shut off. He would be up at the crack of dawn the next morning, to head off to the mines, work his ass off and get home at the same bloody time. This experience had aged him severely, he was only twenty three, but he felt his bones grind against each other like he was well into his fifties. He was beginning to drift off, slowly feeling himself go back to sleep when he felt someone grip his wrist. Out of pure reflex his available hand went to his wrist, expecting that his Pokéball would be there, but of course, it wasn't.

He looked around and saw one of his younger sisters looking at him in concern, her squinted eyes trained on him, 'what is it Suzie?' he whispered.

'You're hurt again,' she whispered, she may have been sixteen but she still spoke as softly as a child.

'I'm fine Suzie, go back to sleep,' he assure her gently.

Worry creased her brow but she handed something to him, pressing it into his hand, 'Drink it, I promise it'll make you feel better.'

He took a whiff from the flask she had handed him, looking slightly confused, but after he smelt the herbs he looked at Suzie oddly touched, 'You made me a potion?'

'I got the recipe from one of the girls at work,' she explained, 'Before she had to come to the textile factory she worked as an herbalist. She said it should help you, go ahead just one sip.'

Brock kissed her forehead gently and took a long swig from the flask, flinching slightly as the gritty taste hit his mouth. He wasn't sure how well Suzie had ground this together; he could still feel fragments of leaves and herbs in the berry juice. But she'd done what she could to make him feel better; she was always trying to help him out since everything went south. She was one of the youngest in the family and he hadn't expected her to take up a job but she'd insisted three or four years ago that she should work just as hard as everyone else to keep their family afloat. He was too busy looking after everyone else to look after himself so she did that for him.

'Thanks Suzie,' he said gently, 'I'm sure it's going to make me feel a lot better.'

'I owe you for a lot of ripped dresses,' she smiled.

He grinned at that thought, and for a second it was like the little five year old was perched in front of him trying to make him eat one of the "cookies" she'd made out of play dough, 'Thank you, now get some sleep Suzie, everything will be brighter in the morning.'

'You say that every night and it's never true,' she said reverting back to a child for a slight moment before shaking herself out of it and giving him a weak grin.

Brock smiled and gave her a little hug before pushing her back towards her mattress on the floor not too far away, whispering as she went away, 'Have a little faith, one of these days I've got to be right.'

…

The hooded man stood in a centre of a large field it was all too clear that he was surrounded by all the elements of the natural world. There were large cliffs to the east, a river to the west with its bank lined with sand. The ground beneath him was covered in the richest grass and just across the river was a large maze of trees. The only person who could be seen other than him was a silver haired man, who observed him with sharp eyes.

'The rules for the match are as follows,' he stated calmly, 'each of us will use one Pokémon each, not our signature in order to be fair. You may use any of your Pokémon but you may not use a higher number than the group you are currently battling. We will join the fight in age order, but if we feel like it's taking too long or its looks too easy for you then the next one along joins in as well. Fail to knock out a Pokémon fast enough and you will be overwhelmed. You could end up in six separate battles at once, so be careful. Once one of you Pokémon has defeated another, you must withdraw it. Your judgment is vital; you can't take an action back.'

'What's the twist?' Ash replied, not seeming overly unnerved, face hidden behind the cloak but the smirk too obvious.

'Nearly forgot, the trainers themselves might take a shot at you if you give them the chance.'

'Figured,' he said calmly, 'Come out lil' ones, when you're ready.'

But the silver haired man cleared his throat, 'Actually Ash,' he said addressing him by his first name for the first time, 'You're not going to know when it's coming. Patience has been something you've always struggled with so wait here, meditate and wait for it to begin.'

'Typical,' he muttered to himself as the other man walked off, sighing he sat down in the grass and went to close his eyes.

Though at this moment a small, yellow Pokémon crawled out from the hood of the cloak he wore, 'Pika-pi Pi-Pikachu.'

'Don't get too confident buddy, this is probably the hardest thing we've done so far. They're going to be a bitch to defeat,' he said into the ear of his partner Pokémon.

'Pi-ka-ka.'

'Okay, she's probably going to be the biggest issue but at the same time it's not like any of them are going to be pushovers. These people were essentially handpicked by Arceus to be ruthless and unpredictable. They're masters for a reason.'

'Pi-Pikachu!' it chattered again.

Ash laughed and ruffled the electric mouse behind it's ears, knowing that his partner was raring and ready to go, 'Let the games begin.'

* * *

**We begin to see how much the world is suffering and how it is for those who aren't part of one of the villainous organisations, a life of suffering for one reason or another. And how being an enemy of this new "government" can make your life a living hell. Meanwhile Ash is in the middle of no where with a mysterious group of people ready for a fight that sounds so bizarre and unlike anything we've ever seen him do in the anime. Yet he seems completely calm and humble about it, what else has changed about him in the last five years? And what's with these notes he left behind?**

******May I just say that the support I have already received on this fanfiction is positively overwhelming. For one chapter I received four reviews, six favourites, nine follows and it's already been added to another community, I don't think I've had that much in such a short succession before, and it's incredible. I'd like to thank each and every one of you for your support and I can't wait to see what all of you think of this story as it unfolds. So without further a due I'd like to thank all you incredible people. Just a heads up to new readers, my authors notes can get pretty damn long.**

**Chica36:**** Along with thanking you for favouriting and following the story, I'd like to thank you for your fantastic review, it really left me smiling. I'll get more into what happened as the story progresses and I'm glad you like the perspective that I was trying to emanate within the chapter. Although the battle doesn't start till next chapter I'm sure you'll really love it, as the true extent of what Ash is going to be dealing with has only just been revealed.**

**Ready To Fly: I'm certainly glad I got your attention, and now I hope to hold it, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for the review and I hope to receive more from you in the future.  
**

**Natashasurgurl:**** I'm really glad that you have mine a chance, and I'm really psyched to hear how much you enjoyed it, and there's going to be a lot of Misty later in the story so I hope you truly enjoy it. Just imagine how cool that would be an animated version of my fanfic *sighs dreamily* Thanks for the review!**

**Phantom**** Trainer:**** I'll admit, I'm slightly confused to what you meant, but I'll take it as a compliment. I'm glad you like my interpretation of what should have happened. Thank you for following the story as well as your fabulous review**

**I'd also like to thank Blade1986, Intensity 215 and NY514 who all both favourited and followed the story. A big thank you also goes to Bunnibutch and drake164 for favouring the story. As well as to , Eeveelash, Frogenshtein's Pokemonster and Moonpaw WP  
for following along with me.**

**If you can't tell by my long list of thank yous, I am super psyched for this story, and I can't wait to share more of it with you guys as it unfolds. Every little bit counts, so now that you've read, favourite, follow and most importantly, review, and I'll see you all next time!**

**xxo**

**Princess Selina**

**_Question of the Chapter: Just who do you think these mysterious people with Ash are?_**


	3. Fighting for Survival

**Chapter Three: Fighting for Survival**

In the tangled woods beyond Lavender Town, amongst the distant hoots of Noctowl and the chirps of sleeping Caterpie, something wasn't quite right. But something was off-putting in the forest; in a way that could only be noticed by those who knew the forest well. That was a number that decreased day to day in the war-torn, continuously suspicious world. These woods had been described as haunted for several millennia, but unlike so many other places the legend hadn't faded once ghost-type Pokémon started to be understood. The legends about these woods ranged from spooky to horrifying, so much so that even in this modern age, no one set foot in these forests without some sort of death wish. That was what made the sound that could be heard amongst the twisted trees so unusual and unnerving. It was the footfalls of someone running as fast as they could, panting as they escaped through the forest. This man felt no fear for the forest; he seemed to face it with an overwhelming amount of confidence, though he was definitely running from something.

The man pulled up short, examining the tiny clearing in the tangled woods, his dark green eyes suspicious, before shaking his head and moving on. He only walked now, but every step was cautious and careful, listening behind him trying to hear anything out of the ordinary. His hand moved the back of his neck, and he pulled it back to examine the amount of blood that dripped of his fingertips. He cursed slightly as he realised how much was there and knew he'd have to stop and take care of it. He lowered himself down onto a nearby log pulled a Pokéball off his hip and sent out the only one who could help him with this.

'Umbreon,' he said quietly.

When the black fox like Pokémon emerged from its Pokéball it instantly moved closer to its owner looking concerned, licking his hand in worry, 'I'm alright… currently. I… need you to use Heal Bell… on my neck… it's not too bad.'

Umbreon looked unconvinced given his shortness in breath and how vague he sounded, but scampered behind him as he pulled off his leather jacket to make sure the whole thing was treated. The cut wasn't deep, but nether the less it looked like it had been done with a murderous intent. It sliced from about the top of his neck to the base of his spine, not long necessarily, but in a very fatal place. The yellow rings along Umbreon's body glowed as it activated its healing abilities, channelling it through to the ring on its forehead. Yellow waves pulsed along the length of the man's wound, and very slowly it healed to the point it was nothing more than a slight scratch.

'Thank you,' he said, reaching back and scratching it behind its ears, 'Do you want to stay out for a while?'

The moon Pokémon rubbed its head affectionately against his knee in confirmation before slinking forward in the darkness, keeping the golden rings slightly a glow to ensure its trainer could see him. He was unable to help but let his mind drift back to his days, training in self-imposed solitude, with no company except for that of his Pokémon. He'd found the Eevee that he eventually would train into such an incredibly strong Umbreon in that time. Seeing as he'd raised it since it was a few days old, it had gotten very attached to him, it preferred not being in its Pokéball if it could avoid it. He'd once thought it was a sign of a weak trainer who didn't keep all of their Pokémon in their Pokéballs. However he understood now that only a good trainer would understand when they didn't want to be in there. But that was when he heard a slight crackle radiating through the night that he knew wouldn't have come from Umbreon. He looked down at his own feet and knew it hadn't been him.

'Damn it, they're back,' he muttered before signalling to Umbreon and began sneaking away from the sound.

He'd hoped those useless grunts wouldn't have followed him in to the depths of these woods, but they must have found their spines after all and followed him. He had two options, run like hell and hope they couldn't catch him. Or, far more intelligently, sneak away so he didn't bring their attention to him, and give him time to regain his energy if he ended up having to run like hell. Umbreon moved silently brushing against his ankles as they stuck to the base of the trees.

But that was when he saw lights up ahead he froze, they weren't torch lights they were too stable. Unable to help the overwhelming curiosity in his system, he began moving closer back towards the sound and where he could make out the lights. He took his time getting closer, but he needn't have bothered, because the closer he got, the more sound he heard and the brighter the lights got. Even if he was to make an unwise move and make a sound, no one would have heard him.

There were trees ripped from the ground by their roots and cast aside carelessly, grass had been torn from the forest floor, leaf litter thrown backwards into humongous piles. Massive floodlights beamed down from their posts illuminating the destruction of what was once undoubtedly the habitat of hundreds of forest Pokémon. And the centrepiece of all that had been destroyed was a huge crater in the ground, the sort of thing that the idiots who helped Team Rocket would have considered a mining shaft.

'Say that again!' yelled a voice.

A Rocket Grunt cowered under the rage of his Colonel, who was all too familiar to the man who remained hidden in the bushes. His arms were inflated like half completed balloon animals, his heavy moustache was probably the reason for his hunched back and the cruelty in his dark eyes only hinted at the constant bloodlust pulsing through his system. They'd met half a dozen times before, none of which had been pleasant, and usually ended up with one or both of them being injured. Usually the Colonel, he didn't have as much of a good aim, throw in how his anger issues got the better of him and he didn't come out on top.

'Tell me again what you and the rest of you incompetent sods have managed to do!'

'I'm sorry Colonel Keres, he just slipped away,' the man whimpered but instantly was struck full force by the Tenjin staff in the Colonel's hand.

'You had one of the leaders of the Kanto resistance in your custody and you just let him go!?' Keres demanded furiously, slamming the grunt repetitively with the staff, sending crackles of electricity through the air.

'So that's the sound… what are you even doing here?' he muttered to himself.

'You let Gary Oak escape!?' Keres screeched angrily, 'into the forest?! Precisely where we don't want the resistance poking around?!'

'Damn right he did, now could you conveniently yell out why you don't want me poking around?' he mused to himself, stroking Umbreon between the ears.

'This stash of Mega-stones could completely cut off the part of the black market controlled by the resistance! And you've let freaking Gary Oak escape right into its path! I'll have you hung for letting him escape!'

Gary couldn't resist, this was too much of a perfect opportunity so striding directly into the path of the floodlights, ruffling his already out of control hair he drawled, 'And I hope you're hung for making it so damn obvious what you didn't want me to know.'

He clicked his tongue, winked before launching himself forward, knocking Keres to the ground and jumped down into the pit and looked around. He quickly identified three Mega-stones that could be used on the wild Pokémon that were native to this area Alakazite, Gengarite and Gyaradosite. Those three stones were stacked in the dozens but he could see a few Scizorite and Pinsirite amongst them. This stash of stones was something that could turn the tide of the black market and Team Rocket knew it. The resistance sent them around the black market to members with the appropriate Pokémon so that they could become more powerful. Supporters and neutral parties also bought the stones; it funded a majority of their operations. He couldn't let Team Rocket take them.

'Electivire! Kingdra! I need your assistance,' he called sending out the two intimidating looking Pokémon as Umbreon landed beside him in the pit, 'Electivire I need you to keep them busy, use Electric Terrain then fight off anyone who tries to come down here. Kingdra you go up and help, but be ready to use smokescreen when we need to get away. Umbreon, we need to get as many Mega-stones as we can out of here, help me fill up my bag.'

Gary put down his backpack and began pulling as many of the shiny stones into his bag as he could manage. Umbreon pulled those that were embedded into the ground and ran them back towards him. He could hear Electivire and Kingdra clashing with other Pokémon above the surface of the crater. The adrenaline pumped through his system as he grabbed stone after stone, willing each to fit in his bag a little faster. He realised now that the others wouldn't fit in his bag so he began stuffing his pockets, and the secret compartment in the back of his jacket. By the time he had the last stone out of the ground; Electivire had been thrown back into the hole, completely fainted. Gritting his teeth he withdrew it and yelled out:

'Kingdra, use Smokescreen!'

Even as the smoke closed over them, Gary realised he just couldn't lift the bag it was so weighed down by rocks, 'Nidoking, I choose you, take this.'

The purple rhino didn't even hesitate, grabbing the bag and following Gary into the woods running as fast as it could while carrying such a heavy load. He himself was weighed down by the heavy stones in his jacket. He felt them jangled back and forth and smack him in the back. He knew that his spine would soon be dotted with bruises the size of oranges, but that wasn't important. He just had to get out of here. As he ran he withdrew Kingdra and Umbreon, just running with Nidoking, dodging round trees as quickly as he could. He had to get to the other side of the woods so he could find some other members of the resistance. Then he'd be safe.

'Oak!' he heard Keres yell furiously, shaking the trees of the forest.

'C'mon Nidoking, keep running,' he said although it was more a phrase to keep himself running, keep himself going, he couldn't give up.

_You knew what you were meant to do from the time we were thirteen. Yet it's taken me till now to realise what my path is meant to be. I can't remember a time when we weren't competing, driving each other to do better, but for now I need to disappear. Take care of the world while I'm gone._

He could hear the words from Ash's note ringing in his ears. He'd never been able to forget the couple of sentences left a scrap of paper on his work desk. The note had been destroyed when enemy forces had firebombed his grandfather's laboratory. Driving his entire family into hiding. It was because of that note that he'd joined the resistance in the first place. After the bombing, he'd invested all the time and energy he had into trying to save the world from this time of tyranny. There was no way he was going to let Ash down.

…

A thousand miles away Ash Ketchum remained in deep meditation, he could sense even the slightest movements around him. He was conscious of every blade of grass rubbing against each other. He could hear a single leaf dropping from any tree within a mile of him. He could even sense a school of Basculin swimming stealthily through the water hunting for prey. The slightest movement, the slightest sound, even with his eyes closed he was conscious of everything around him. Though he felt something shift in the landscape he'd become accustomed to and he delved into his subconscious to figure out it was.

He suddenly saw the landscape in a blur of saturated colours that vaguely resembled some sort of radar. Two figures approaching him from the distance, one along the tree line to west, the other clambering along the rocky cliffs on the west side. In this strange vision these two figures appeared as silhouettes each in a unique colour. One shape was pure ivory, who had scaled a tree, crouching in the high branches in anticipation. The other was in an earthy bronze, blending into the blurred neutral tones of the cliff face around it.

He listened to the wind, waiting for the perfect moment to release himself from his immobility and strike. He released the tension building in his muscles, ready to launch into action. He moved his hand very slightly to the long string of Pokéballs at his waist, trying to not move enough to draw attention to himself. Near sixty of the red and white spheres strung together. They weren't labelled but he knew which Pokémon was in which capsule by instinct, each was distinctive to him even if they would look like clones to ever one else. He knew who the people in the trees were, so he paused for a long second to think about what Pokémon they would bring and what he could match them with. He knew their signature had been ruled out on account of the rules, but that didn't mean they weren't going to be somewhat predictable. They were type specialists after all.

That was when he sensed the change around him, and he leapt skywards, below him two aura jets collided. A slight explosion ricocheted out, propelling him upwards, his cloak billowed around him and his hood slipped off his head. Pikachu sat up in excitement on his shoulder, tail twitching in excitement. Before he'd even hit the ground he'd drawn two Pokéball's from his belt, and sent them into the air.

Gliscor instantly took to the sky, circling like a vulture, looking for its opponent. His Rhyperior crashed landed on the ground sending the tremors along the ground. As he landed firmly on his feet, he turned and looked side to side. On one side of him he could see an Ursaring; on the other was a Rampardos. The rock-type was what he expected from the trainer hiding in the cliffs, but he'd thought that the other would have brought her Pidgeot. It was his mistake, but he could adapt easily enough.

He took a quick mental note of a few of the intrinsic details of his scenario, but the opposition was moving quickly. The Rampardos charged forward, glowing electric blue as it charged towards Rhyperior. Ursaring quickly moved to utilise its diverse move set and instantly pounded forward, leaping at Gliscor, its fists glowing with Ice Punch at the ready.

'Rhyperior Iron Tail to intercept. Gliscor Fire Fang on the defensive,' he called decidedly and without hesitation.

Rampardos's charge came to a halt as it had to skid to the side to avoid Rhyperior's attack. Ursaring didn't know what hit it when Gliscor's mouth spitting cinders latched itself onto its paw. It tried to shake loose the fangs digging into its flesh, the heat intense around its fist. Though Gliscor would not let go, balancing easily as Ursaring swung it around its head. If it could fly through a tornado, it could do this.

'Rampardos use Giga Impact.'

'Ursaring Hammer Arm!'

The trainers had come out of hiding, standing on opposite sides of him. A girl and a boy, both in their late teens, with chestnut hair and large, brown eyes. They were both tall and slim, with pale skin and angular features. A long jagged knife was on the girl's hip and on her other were a sling and a pouch of stones. The boy was armed as well with a machete at his side and knuckle plates on his fists, a knife was sticking out of the top of his boot and the ominous look in his eyes suggested it wasn't the only one.

Rampardos barrelled into Rhyperior, glowing with purple lights. The rock rhino took the hit well, puffing out its chest to show its resolve. Ursaring managed to fling Gliscor off but the flying-type simply glided away on the wind completely unshaken. Ash momentarily distracted quickly reformed his strategies and decided it was time for some quick action.

'Change targets, Gliscor use Aqua Tail and flip, Rhyperior use Hammer Arm,' he instructed quickly, before ducking as the boy lobbed an aura ball at his head, 'Aim a little better next time Perry, a halfwit could dodge that.'

The boy made a face and instantly called out, 'Stay low Rampardos, dodge in the meantime.'

His sister didn't make such a cautious call though, 'Ursaring take a hit if you have to, use Close Combat.'

Rampardos's awkward form meant that it could only miss so many of the rotating Gliscor's barrage of Aqua Tails. Ash was more so curious about what Perry was waiting for. The girl had done what he'd expected her to; Tien was a rather head on attacker. She generally left her Pokémon's overly diverse move sets to do the talking but could pull something unpredictable given the time to think clearly. Her Ursaring was in a hand to hand duel with his Rhyperior, neither wanting to say die.

'Rhyperior Megahorn,' Ash called.

The quick change in tempo allowed Rhyperior to get a quick hit in on Ursaring knocking it backwards, making Tien call out, 'Don't give in! Back to back Metal Claw-'

'Skull Bash!'

Rhyperior flung itself head first into Ursaring's stomach, knocking the bear like Pokémon back a few steps. But Ursaring gathered green lights in its hands and explosive seeds ricocheted out. At Ash's call Rampardos activated Giga Impact, shattering the Seed Bomb attack before it could cause any damage. But that was when Ash was forced to turn his attention to the fight between Gliscor and Rampardos.

Having been tired out from the constant flipping, Gliscor was losing speed and upon having noticed this Perry finally made his move, 'Power Swap into Blizzard.'

Ash's eyes bulged despite his attempt to maintain his cool, how had Perry taught Rampardos Power Swap? It was a genius move, but how had he even done it? In a split second the fossil Pokémon's special attack and physical attack stats swapped, and the icy breeze swept across the field. It was then Ash began to lose some ground, because suddenly he saw a Skarmory and a Swanna gliding through the sky at a rapid speed towards him.

'Froslass keep those two back with protect. Sceptile hit Rampardos with a Leaf Blade from behind,' Ash called flinging the Pokéballs forward.

As the Hoenn starter slammed hard into Rampardos sending it flying, but Ash's call had not saved Gliscor who could no longer stand the ice and collapsed through the air. But out of sheer convenience it landed directly on top of Rampardos. Providing the final blow the rock type required to knock it out. Ash withdrew Gliscor, grateful that he hadn't had to withdraw a fresh Pokémon. This was when he turned his attention to the birds and the bear.

He could see the trainers of the Skarmory and the Swanna coming into view, two girls about nineteen or so, identical in every way yet drastically different. Straight silver hair, dove-grey eyes, pale skin and sharp features. Slim, willowy bodies with a deceptive amount of muscle, sabres at their hips. Yet both of them had such a different air about them that the similarities in appearance almost didn't matter. The girl commanding the Skarmory was racing forward with the energy of a fire cracker, her hair tied back in a loose braid with flyaway hair coming out at every angle. The other was refined and graceful, moving fast but seemed more tentative and careful.

'Skarmory use Iron Head,' Chromia yelled rambunctiously, throwing a layout before flinging a ninja star at Ash.

A single Bullet Seed from Sceptile quickly knocked it off course, which was when Ash began giving the orders. He had Rhyperior continue its duel with Ursaring, knowing that one would knock the other out soon enough, calling for it to use Dragon Rush to hasten it up. Froslass leapt in front of the incoming Skarmory forcing the steel-type to pull up short to avoid ramming into the protect shield. Sceptile and Swanna migrated towards the river and the trees to their natural habitat. Swanna dove under the surface of the river before cannoning itself towards Sceptile in the trees. The attack missed, Sceptile's insane speed making it impossible to hit, before it blinded Swanna with a barrage of Leaf Storm before landing a round of Thunder Punches in quick succession. Aura's usually blank facial expression was suddenly struck with anger, and called for her Swanna to use Roost and get ready to attack once more.

Ash meanwhile was engaged in a dodging frenzy, as the other trainers hurled aura balls at him left, right and centre. But unable to focus properly on his battles with them doing this, so he sent out a single wave of energy from his core. The three girls were knocked to the ground, instantly losing their steam. Tien landed badly on her shoulder, with a sharp yelp of pain.

'Rhyperior Poison Jab!' Ash called.

Ursaring finally gave out and collapsed on the ground in faint, taking Tien out of the fight. She withdrew Rhyperior, and turned to see how the silver haired twins were fairing. Chromia had already leapt back to her feet, not seeming shaken by the blow at all, only looking more determined than ever. Aura got up slightly slower but her eyes turned cold and she seemed prepared to take the fight to the next level.

'Swanna,' Aura said calmly.

'Skarmory!' her sister called enthusiastically.

'Dark Storm.'

In a synchronistic combination only possible by trainers who shared such a mental connection, the incredible attack began to form Ash felt the dread gather in his stomach. Skarmory began using Fury Cutter slashing Swanna's Bubblebeam into mist. The swan Pokémon proceeded to use Hurricane creating a dangerous wind that spread across the field. The wind spread across the entire field, picking up the Night Slashes ricocheting through the air. He could tell how much damage his Sceptile and Froslass would be taking, he had to stop this. But already something had added itself to this mess. Two more Pokémon had shown up.

A Weaville skated in and added the full force of a Blizzard attack to the storm. The wind beginning to howl and moan as the Mismagius added Ominous Wind to the storm. Ash knew he needed to change something and fast; he had to change something and fast. He could only see the shapes of the other trainers surrounding him. And he could barely see his Sceptile and Froslass as he reached for another Pokéball at his hip. This was a dangerous attack, and his Pokémon were fading fast. If he didn't win this battle he'd lose his right to take back the world. And he would not let that happen. He'd been gone for five year already. The world had suffered enough already.

* * *

**So the battle rages on in all corners of the world. There are those who are dominated by the evils surrounding them and those who will do anything to keep the darkness from consuming everything in its path. The world is hanging together by a few threads, how long will it take before it all falls apart?**

**Hello my lovely, lovely readers! Thanks so much for all your insane support, I really feel so blessed with how much you've come out for this. Nearly a thousand views by the end of Chapter Two, I've had stories that haven't even got that many views before. Ten reviews on the one chapter, sixteen favorites in one go, not to mention twelve follows... This really is just amazing. And because its going to take a very long time to do my thank yous properly, I better get to it:**

**Intensity215:**** I'm so glad you're enjoying this story, the plot is something I'm really proud of and I hope to do it justice! Thanks so much for your review and I hear from you again.**

**Phantom Trainer: You were, I felt like an idiot when I realised, that line was added in at the last second. Thanks for your follow, and I hope you enjoy the latest installment.**

**Natashasurgurl: Not quite, but I doubt most people would have guessed seeing as they're OC's of a sort. I'm glad you're ready to be immersed in this new world, and I hope I do this justice.**

**Chica36: Brock is back and so are you, and after too long, so am I, back again, once again! I'm really glad that you're enjoying the story as it goes along. The champion theory would make sense, but I'm working a different angle this time round. But when the champions do show up, that is going to be fun. Ash really has grown from the impulsive little kid the anime portrayed him as, I'm working hard to show that he's developed and matured. The world has gone to the dogs and he might be the last hope they have, and he knows it. I'm glad that your enjoying the unpredictability, and I hope I continue to surprise you and that you enjoy the battle that has begun. Thanks again, and see you next time.**

**Jemzyboz: Now wouldn't that be an unexpected trio, that's really creative.**

**Laties228: I think your last theory is a little closer to the truth, but I wouldn't rule out an appearance from the original Pokémon masters. Thank you for favouriting, following, and your review, and I fully intend to enjoy it every step of the way, and I hope you do to.**

**Forever Me: Well wasn't that one of the best reviews I've ever gotten. Thanks so much for giving me such incredible feed back and it makes me so much more motivated to write when I'm getting something like this in return for my efforts. I hope you read the authors note this time so you can see how much your review meant. Looking into the lives of Ash and his old friends I feel is important, its been years since they were okay or safe, and even longer since they've seen each other. How their being treated by the enemy is something I'm really intending to focus on and I'm glad that you've been enjoying this story so much. Thank you for favouriting, following and reviewing, and I hope to hear from you more often.**

**Dark Waffle: I'm so sorry that I ruined your amped up mood, if only I could take my plan in my head and put it onto the page like magic. I'm glad you like the idea and how I've been writing this, I really hope you continue to enjoy it as the story progresses. Thank you for favouriting and following and I can't wait to hear what you think of this next installment.**

**Leslie 2132: I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it, thanks for your favourite and follow and I hope I can update a little quicker next time.**

**Spidersndue: Thank you for favouriting and following! They had to win at some stage, I mean they can't keep losing because of the interference of ten year olds. Sorry if the perspective is a little confusing, I was hoping to make the audience guess and try to predict who's doing what, also because of them being generally alone for most of the chapter it can make it hard to bring it up without dialogue. Though with the section I've got planned for the next chapter I don't think the he/she thing will be a problem. Oh and I'm sorry I haven't gotten around to reading your story, it just took me forever to write this chapter. Thank you, and I hope you keep tuning in for more.**

**I'd also like to thank all the people who have favourited this story since last time: ****SilverDragonSlytherin****, ****Brainiac2000****, ****DarkAngelRaven****, ****miezi10****, ****3mark3o****, ****The hunger games 1145****, ****Kkawa1****, ****Deathspot551**** and ****Starrlight1812****. **

**Also a big thank you to my new followers (what is this? A cult?): ****whitekitsune1857****, ****DarkAngelRaven****, ****PlasmaRiolu467****, ****Folium****, ****GhostNappa1214****, ****Kkawa1****, ****Aprotny****, ****Deathspot551****, ****RaisingHeartSetUp****, ****Frogenshtein's pokemonster**** and ****DapieisTasty****.**

**So to those readers wondering who these people training Ash are, and to those who know. These people are the Carinthias, siblings each with their own unique type speciality, dangerous battlers, and as I'm sure you picked up on, aura users. Now in fairy flavor! How auras are used and the involvement and their role will be drastically different from how I use them in the now, mostly scrapped, The Eclipse Islands (for an explanation on why I probably will never come back to that story see my profile.) Also, this isn't me trying to promote, I'd honestly be perfectly fine if people didn't read it, I just figured so no one asks I might as well address the matter.**

**Also, Ash seems to have caught himself a few new Pokémon. What else do you think he has up his sleeve? Who do you hope he's caught? Anyone you hope he's evolved? Or flat out gotten rid of? Let me know with a review!**

**I'm also sorry that it took me so long to update, I've been dealing with a lot of school work and assignments, throw in the fact that I'm now undergoing counseling of a sort for my anxiety issues and its been a hectic few weeks. Now the school holidays start at the end of the week so I hope to get a few more chapters up in that time, I'll do my best, I promise!**

**I thank and love you all my fabulous readers, so don't don't forget to review, favourite, follow and tune in next time to find out the upcoming twists and turns of ****Our Shattered World!**

**xxo**

**Princess Selina**

_**Question of the Chapter: What aspects of the Pokémon community are you involved in? Games, Anime, Manga, Merchandise, Conventions, Youtubers etc. (I know you're all in on the fanfiction community) **_


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